ECP Brazil Open: Players to watch, tournament facts and more

This week marks the third of 16 events during the inaugural PGA TOUR Americas season and the third of six events in the Latin America Swing.

Fortinet Cup Points: 500 (winner)
Purse: $225,000 ($40,500 winner)
Field Summary (as of April 16, 2024)

• 144 players from 18 countries
  • 81 – United States
  • 17 – Argentina
  • 13 – Canada
  • 10 – Brazil
  • 6 – Mexico
  • 3 – Chile
  • 2 – England
  • 1 – Peru, Costa Rica, France, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Japan, Colombia, Scotland, China, Cuba

Players to Watch

• Matthew Anderson – Finished T3 at the Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club and tied the course record of 62 in the opening round.
• Clay Feagler – Won the first event in PGA TOUR Americas history, the Bupa Championship at Tulum; was his first victory as a professional and secured exempt membership for the remainder of the season.
• José de Jesús Rodríguez – Won the Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club, his third consecutive PGA TOUR-sanctioned win at the venue. Finished T2 at the 2017 ECP Brazil Open, which was held at the Rio Olympic Golf Course.
• Derek Hitchner – Finished T3 at the Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club.
• Alexandre Rocha – The Sao Paulo native defeated Keith Mitchell and Kent Bulle in a playoff to win the 2015 ECP Brazil Open.
• Stuart Macdonald – Finished T3 at the 2024 Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club, his best finish since his T2 finish at the 2023 Windsor Championship on PGA TOUR Canada.
• Austen Christiansen – The Houston, Texas, native carded an 8-under 63 to get into the field as a Monday Qualifier.

Tournament History

Organized by the Brazilian Golf Confederation in partnership with the Rio Olympic Golf Course, the ECP Brazil Open was founded in 1945 and has been a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event since 2012. The Brazil Open was played at the Rio Olympic Golf Course in 2016, 2017 and now 2024. The 72-hole scoring record and lowest round in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event at the Rio Olympic Golf Course were set by Rodolfo Cazaubón on his way to his victory at the ECP Brazil Open in 2017 on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

Six players who finished in the top 10 of the 2023 Brazil Open are in the field this week: Chris Crawford (T3/16-under), Joey Savoie (T3/16-under), Macdonald (T6/14-under), Sandy Scott (T6/14-under), Conner Godsey (T8/12-under) and Brent Ito (T8/12-under).

Eighteen Monday Qualifiers are in the field: Christiansen, Ivan Ramirez, Maximiliano Godoy, Alejandro Madariaga, Garrett Barber, Eddy Lai, Juan Tomas Arozena, Mauro Baez, Carlos Ferreira, Aram Yenidjeian, Martin Contini, Diego Santolaya, Christopher White, Bernardo Willemsens, Nick Infanti, Igor Santana, Ivan Camilo Ramirez, Iorkys Cabrera and Otto Black.

Ten Brazilians are in the field this week. Rocha, Rafael Becker, Rodrigo Lee, Axell Balestre, Breno Domingos, Felipe Navarro, Daniel Ishii, Santana, Ferreira and Willemsens.

Fortinet Cup Overview

Seven of the top 10 players in the Fortinet Cup standings are in the field at the 69th ECP Brazil Open: Rodríguez (first/524), Feagler (second/510), Jesus Montenegro (third/380), Julián Etulain (fifth/190), Anderson (eighth/150), Joey Vrzich (9th/132) and Devon Bling (10th/129).

PGA TOUR Americas – 2024 Season Summary

Up to 15 Korn Ferry Tour cards are on the line during the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season – five conditional memberships will go to the top players from the Latin America (two) and North America (three) Swings, and the top 10 players in the season-long Fortinet Cup points list will earn exempt membership.

Quick links

English: Tee Times | Leaderboard | Fortinet Cup
Spanish: Tee Times | Leaderboard | Fortinet Cup